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If it's not one thing, it's another.
After weeks of poor play in net, Stuart Skinner was excellent for the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. This time, he was let down by the skaters in front of him, as the Oilers blew a 2-1 lead in a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Now 3-8 in their last eleven games, the Oilers' season seems to be slowly slipping away.
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Player Grades
Stuart Skinner: B+
Skinner wasn't perfect, and his final line (18 saves on 21 shots) isn't flattering, but Skinner kept the Oilers alive for long stretches of Thursday's game. His huge second period save on Ondrej Palat bailed out Edmonton's floundering defenders and kept the game tied going into the third, allowing Evan Bouchard to put the Oilers ahead early in the final frame.
The goals Skinner did allow were all the result of poor net-front defence. Brett Pesce opened the scoring by pouncing on a poorly-controlled rebound in the second, before Jesper Bratt and Simon Nemec scored through heavy screens a minute and a half apart to turn the game on its ear. Just like that, Skinner is saddled with yet another loss.
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Oilers Game Schedule For March 2025EDMONTON -- It's trade deadline month. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl: A
No surprise here. The two superstars were reunited after Pesce's goal, dominating in terms of ice time (25:06 for McDavid and 24:48 for Draisaitl) and puck possession (97.5% xG on a line with Zach Hyman).
McDavid picked up two assists, while Draisaitl scored his league-leading 47th goal and extended his point streak to 16 games, with 12 goals and 24 points over that span. Whatever else is going on with the Oilers, they can always count on their dynamic duo.
Everyone Else: D
The problem is, they can't count on anyone else. The Oilers' depth players were invisible on Thursday, except for defenseman Ty Emberson, who was left standing in front of the net on all three Devils' goals for a -3 on the night.
The problem is exacerbated when the Oilers load up McDavid on Draisaitl on the top line, leaving precious little offensive pop in the rest of the lineup. It shouldn't be that way--there are plenty of players down the lineup capable of producing--but that's where the Oilers are right now. Another trade deadline has come and gone, and the Oilers look like a one-line team.
While it's not yet panic time in Edmonton, they can't continue on this path forever. Thankfully, they have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league. They'll get another chance to right the ship tomorrow, as they travel to Long Island to take on the New York Islanders.
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